I learned so much from this book about Iran's culture and politics, as well as its history. Yet the author also balanced these aspects so well with the personal lives and emotions of the characters. The story is beautifully written, and the protagonist is compelling for her strength and resilience, as well as her growth throughout the novel. It was particularly interesting to read about her perspective as a woman in all of these contexts. I felt that the author did a brilliant job of including the kind of details that made the story come alive and the characters so intriguing. The ending was also very well done and really tied things together. My only criticism is that the jump in timing was a bit disruptive to the flow of the storyline and character development, but overall this was easy to look past given the rest of the book. I would recommend this book!